The Missing Pieces
by NCP18
Summary: When Robin leaves with Marian, Hook falls back into old habits (and bed) with an old green flame, and a disgruntled Merry Man thinks he can take advantage of a werewolf, friends step in to offer love and support when their friend needs it most. What happens when Regina, Emma, and Ruby start feeling like maybe their other two friends might just be the missing pieces in their life?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello again everyone! I'm back with something just a little different. Reading Between Their Lines is still ongoing, but when my muse came back after her vacation following The Hero's Way project, this is what she wanted me to work on.**

 **A bit of background: this story has been in the works for a while. Mrs Lucky and I were watching Once one night when there was a particularly good scene showing Regina and Emma sparking off each other with some awesome back-and-forth. She saw how into it I was and started teasing me that all I wanted to see was them kissing. Being the good spouse that I am, I of course denied it, but she kept going, saying the only thing that would make it better for me was if Ruby was there too. Then she upped the ante by daring me to write the story between the three of them. So here we are.**

 **Also, so many people expressed concern about her cancer diagnosis during The Hero's Way publication that it touched us both. I have awesome news on that front, if you're a returning reader. The magic medicine she's been on has kept shrinking the cancer, to the point where everything other than the primary tumor is gone and the primary has shrunk dramatically. She starts a new kind of radiation therapy next week that both the oncologist and radiologist think will get rid of the cancer for good. We're crossing our fingers, and hopefully when she has her follow-up scan in early January we get some amazing news to start off the new year. Thank you all for your prayers and well-wishes. They've meant the world.**

 **As always laurathechef worked magic making this story legible. I claim no ownership of anything you might recognize.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"I'm not in the mood for a hope speech, Emma," grunted Regina as the Savior slid onto a stool next to her. The events of the day, namely watching her boyfriend slip off with his resurrected wife – _only in Storybrooke,_ she thought with a wry internal chuckle – had taken it out of her. All she wanted to do was wallow.

Emma responded with a tight smile, hoping she looked as encouraging as she wanted to. "You're mistaking me for my mother. Besides, you don't need a speech. You need a drinking buddy. Shots?"

Even with their success at dealing with Ingrid's plan to regain her lost sisters, things had been tense enough between herself and the mayor that more than a little of her was ready for Regina to throw her out of Granny's on her ass with either magic or pure physical strength. So when Regina turned and offered a 'Sure. Why not?' it came as a more than a little bit of a surprise, albeit a pleasant one.

"Two," she requested, gesturing with her fingers as she glanced over at Ruby behind the bar. The werewolf – who was the only person in Storybrooke who never seemed bothered by the chilly Maine air, at least from the short shorts she preferred to wear, not that Emma had ever noticed or stared at Ruby's legs or anything – slid their glasses across the bar with a wink and returned to her other customers.

"You know you did right thing today," she said, wrenching her attention from Ruby backside to her son's adoptive mother. Whenever Emma thought of everything that Regina had given Henry throughout his entire childhood, everything that no family had ever given her, she felt the weight of a debt she'd never be able to fully repay. Offering encouragement and support to Regina when she was down was the least that she could do.

"There it is. A hope speech. I thought we were drinking," Regina leaned back on her stool and regarded Emma, incredulous at the blonde's inability to stop herself from offering platitudes.

Even knowing how likely Regina was to accept – or reject, in this case – her words, Emma forged ahead, because friends supported their friends. At least that's what television shows always depicted friends doing. Having grown up bouncing from foster house to group home and back again before she could forge any kind of friendships of her own, it wasn't something she'd had direct experience with. After all the crap Regina had put up with over the last four years, trying to help cheer her up was the least she could do. "It's not a speech. It's a compliment."

"Well, I don't need your validation," the brunette retorted before slamming her shot, "I know I did the right thing. I know because I'm miserable... again." She gazed down, fingers folded around her glass, feeling the weight of loneliness bearing down on her.

Emma watched as Ruby slid two more shots over, obviously having used her wolf senses to hear why they were drinking and understanding that they would need more than just one round. "Thanks," she smiled at the slender brunette and studiously not watching her walk away as her brain idly wondered why the hell her eyes were so drawn to Ruby's legs. Sheer athleticism, she figured. Such a strong runner had legs of steel which should be admired. That was all.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, so is Gold," she tried, appreciating the distraction and knowing that any misery affecting the Dark One would warm Regina's heart almost as much as an unsolicited hug from Henry.

It had exactly the effect she'd hoped. "It does," Regina admitted with a small upturn of one corner of her lips before raising her glass for a toast.

Seizing her moment after the _clink_ of glass impacting glass faded away, Emma turned to her drinking buddy with a teasing grin. "So, I'm curious. Who will you miss more: Robin or Roland?"

For the briefest moment, she thought she'd made a horrible mistake. Regina's shocked expression morphed into outrage faster than Emma would have admitted possible if she hadn't seen it. The mayor's mouth opened to shoot a withering retort, but she stopped herself. Closing her jaw, Regina thought for a second, then offered a reluctant grin. "Roland, of course. I've never met a sweeter boy, except for Henry," she said.

Ruby showed up with three shot glasses just as their laughter finished. "This round's on me, guys."

"Thanks, Rubes! What's the occasion?" Emma asked, taking her glass and clinking them with the two brunettes.

"Well, I know we've never exactly been best friends, Regina," Ruby answered Emma's question by speaking to the older woman, "but I know what it's like to lose someone you love, so I thought I'd just offer my support and concern."

The wear on Regina's emotions had finally taken too much of her self-control. From watching Robin walk away from her to saving his wife, to accepting sympathy from the fucking Savior of all people, hearing the pity in Ruby's voice was too much. She bristled, defenses slamming up. "I don't know what you think was going on here, Miss Lucas, but I can assure you that our situations are in no way similar. My True Love walked away from me on his own free will; I didn't have him for supper one evening."

Ruby's mouth dropped open as anguish and shame filled her eyes. Her jaw worked up and down as her brain tried to find something to say, but she settled on shaking her head. "I – I'm sorry, Regina. I shouldn't have intruded. I'll just – I think I need to go take some inventory."

As the distraught Ruby fled the counter area to the back, Emma turned to Regina and slapped her across the shoulder. "Regina! What the hell was that?" she hissed, no small feat in a sentence almost entirely devoid of sibilances.

The woman in question found herself as impressed with Emma's verbal dexterity as she was guilty at how seriously she'd apparently wounded Ruby. "I don't know! I just…I'm not used to all these emotions or even having friends! It felt like she was pitying me and I hate being pitied, so I just lashed out."

"Damn right you lashed out! You couldn't have destroyed her any more with one of your fucking fireballs!" Emma ran her hands through her hair, trying to figure out a way to fix the situation.

Guilt bearing her shoulders down, Regina rose to her feet. "I wasn't trying to hurt her; this day just left me too raw. Wait here. I'll go speak to her and apologize."

Emma stared at her, trying to process the sudden change. "Who are you and what have you done with Regina?"

"Do shut up, Miss Swan. I'm capable of admitting when I've made a mistake, especially when it's wounded someone who has done nothing to deserve it," she replied, haughty and proud as she tried to recover her dignity.

Without another word, she turned on her heel as steadily as she could after three shots and made her way behind the counter. Regina pushed open the door to the kitchen and searched for anything that looked like a pantry or closet. Never having been in this part of Granny's diner before, it took a few moments of searching but she eventually located the door. Stilling her steps, she detected the sound of muffled crying coming from the room. The sound hurt her heart, causing a swell of shame to flood through her. Knowing that she hurt the waitress as seriously as it looked like she had made her feel two inches tall. Ruby hadn't deserved that attack. She was a genuinely decent person who had worked hard to put the monster in her away, witnessed by her control over the wolf when she changed.

She took a breath and pushed the door open. Ruby startled, jumping to her feet and wiping her eyes. "Regina? What are you doing back here? I'm…I'm sorry if I left you without another round of shots. I just needed a minute to…do the inventory…" she finished weakly, hating how pathetic she sounded.

Surprising them both, Regina reached out and put a comforting hand on the younger woman's arm. "No, dear. That's not why I came back here to interrupt your…counting," she explained with a wan smile, "I came to apologize. What I said was extremely cruel and out of line, and I hurt you. I'm sorry for that. You didn't deserve those words at all."

Ruby blinked wide eyes. "You don't have to do that, Regina. We've never been friends, going back to when your knights hunted Snow and me around the Enchanted Forest. I don't know what I was doing butting in a few minutes ago."

"You were being a kind, generous, wonderful person," Regina replied, squeezing Ruby's forearm, "something I have sorely lacked in my life. Before Emma broke the curse, the closest person I had to an actual friend was Maleficent, and we were at each other's throats more than anything else."

She paused to take a breath. "Regina, really, you don't owe…" Ruby interjected.

Regina shook her head, cutting off the interruption, "Yes, I do owe you an apology and explanation. I'm not used to friendship or genuine concern. When you offered your sympathy, my mind told me it was pity, and I lashed out. I detest being made to feel less than absolutely in control, but this day has done just that and you recognized it. You were acting out of the kindness of your heart, so I do owe you my apology. The truth is that I would like it if we became friends."

Wary surprise gave way to relieved acceptance. Ruby nodded, still sniffling a little. "Thank you, Regina. That means a lot to me. I'd like it if we were friends, too."

Before Regina knew what was going on, the werewolf had enveloped her in a firm embrace. It had been so long since she'd been hugged by anyone other than Robin and Henry that she could feel the warmth spread throughout her body. Ruby's perfume, which she once thought was overpowering, was delicate, wafting to her nostrils through the red-streaked hair. So infrequently were her hugs with other women that the sensation of someone else's breasts pressing into her own was entirely foreign, not that she minded the sensation. Something about their height difference meant they fit together perfectly in an embrace, but she chose to attribute the growing fluttering in her stomach – and lower, her treacherous mind pointed out – to the experience of making a new friend rather than examine any of these new feelings in depth. The day had left her too emotionally raw and exposed as it was. Introspection would have to wait.

The hug seemed to go on longer than she would have expected, but as inexperienced as she was at the art of hugging, she decided to let Ruby take control.

When the younger woman released and stood back to look at her, Regina was struck again by the intensity of her personality. It would be a mistake to attribute the spark in her eyes to the magic of her alter ego. Ruby Lucas was far more than the attractive package that met the eye.

"Well, now that we're friends, how would you like to join Emma and me tomorrow? She's got some activity for us to bond and blow off some steam, but she won't tell me exactly what it is," Regina offered, feeling the desire to spend more time in the company of her newest friend.

"I'd love to!" Ruby accepted with a wide smile.

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 **A/N: And there's the first chapter! As always, constructive criticism and reviews are always welcome. Thanks for taking a look!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello again, everyone! Thanks for giving this story a chance. It's a bit of a departure for me, but I'm really enjoying how the characters are playing off each other. Hopefully you do, too.  
**

 **As always, I claim no ownership of anything you might recognize.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Regina and Ruby walked through the woods, wondering with every step over a fallen tree what in the world Emma could have set up for a friend outing in the forests around Storybrooke.

"Did she say anything about what she had in mind?" Ruby asked as they moved deeper into the foliage.

With a shake of her head, Regina picked her way around a boulder, for once glad to be wearing hiking shoes and denim along with her leather horse riding jacket. "She didn't say anything other than 'wear comfortable clothes you don't mind getting dirty.',"

Ruby snickered, momentarily distracted at the sight of Regina's lower body working around the rock. Glad she had asked what she should wear for Emma's activity, she had on her most well-worn boots and tight jeans, along with a loose sweatshirt. "I think this may be the first time another woman has asked me to get dirty in the woods."

Her comment must have caught the mayor by surprise, because Regina tripped on a bare patch of ground and would have stumbled if Ruby didn't jump forward to catch her. "Woah, Regina. Are you okay?"

Throwing her a look that only Regina could have produced – it was a strange mix of irritation and gratitude – the older woman settled on standing up straight. "I'm fine, thank you. I just wasn't expecting the comment."

"Oh, yeah," Ruby chuckled as she released Regina's arm, "Sorry about that."

"It just took me a little by surprise, that's all," Regina offered with a forgiving smile. Ruby hadn't meant to startle her so badly she tripped, after all. Still, Regina filed the tidbit away.

They moved on through the undergrowth until a clearing emerged in front of them. Regina noticed the dull red flash among the trunks before she saw the familiar leather of Emma's favorite jacket. Not that she would ever admit it under pain of torture, she actually found the jacket appealing, at least in the way that Emma wore it. The swagger that the blonde assumed when she donned the jacket was oddly reminiscent of the palace guards that used to protect her. They wore their armor in much the same way as Emma wore her jacket, as part of their very identity. She had the odd feeling that the jacket she'd belittled so often must have meant something significant to her son's other mother.

Walking into the clearing, Regina noticed a row of bull's eye targets arrayed in rows on each side of the roughly circular space. Emma stood behind a table in the center of the area, and behind her was another row of targets Regina couldn't quite make out. On the table was…she gaped as Emma cut off her train of thought.

"Ruby?" Emma asked, surprised to see the waitress.

"Yeah, Regina invited me along after that thing at Granny's the other day," Ruby admitted, suddenly unsure of herself.

To her relief, Emma's face lit up in an ear to ear smile. "Awesome! This will be a lot of fun with the three of us. Luckily I just happen to have spares."

"Spare what now?" Regina asked, eyeing the table of weaponry.

"Guns!" exclaimed the blonde, grinning wider than ever as she gestured to the table.

Ruby looked almost as excited as Emma as she took in the sight. "Really? I've never been shooting before, but I've always wanted to."

Emma gave Regina a wary look. "Regina? Are you okay?"

"This is what you planned for today? You think rattling off some firearms in the woods is going to be stress-relieving?" Regina demanded.

"You have _no_ idea," Emma smirked, giving the surprised older woman a wink.

Ruby went to the table and started looking at the pistols. "What do you have here?"

Emma turned from Regina to regard the gleaming metal. "These are from my personal collection. We have two Sigs and a Glock to choose from. The Glock is my favorite. Saved my life more than once in Boston," she said, her voice growing softer as she lost herself in a memory.

Regina shifted uncomfortably as Ruby moved forward to inspect the guns. "I'm not sure this is the best idea. I've never fired one of these before."

"I haven't either, actually," admitted Ruby, not showing any lack of enthusiasm despite her lack of experience.

The blonde grinned. "Not a problem. That's why you have me, right? I have used all of these extensively. I know range safety. When bounty hunting got lean, I used to make some extra cash on the side teaching introductory firearm lessons at the range near my apartment. We'll be just fine here, trust me."

"What about the noise?" Ruby wanted to know. "Won't the sound of gunfire draw out the town residents?"

Emma shook her head. "I informed David beforehand. Any calls that come into the Sheriff's station, he'll be able to handle it. He's going to tell people it's a Sheriff's Department training."

Regina eyed the weapons as she moved to the table, noticing for the first time the ear protectors and what looked like little foam balls. "Okay, Swan. I'll trust you enough to try this, but if it feels weird I'm going home, but not after many, many rounds of telling you how much I told you so," she declared, raising her eyebrow in challenge.

Not quite bouncing over to the table, Emma's mannerisms belied her excitement. "Awesome! Okay, let's get started with the basics."

The two brunettes shared a wry look as they moved to the other side of the table, allowing Emma's excitement to envelop them. They looked on as their friend explained the fundamentals of loading the magazines, making sure the safety was on, and how to aim. After the weapons were loaded with the safety on, she laid them on the table and demonstrated how to roll the foam ear protectors and insert them into the ear canal before putting her earphones on over them.

"First rule: never, ever point this at anything you don't intend to shoot. Second rule: never aim with your finger on the trigger. Only put your finger on the trigger right before you fire. Let's give it a try. I'll go first to demonstrate proper form."

So saying, she gestured for the other two to don their ear protectors – after conjuring an extra pair for Ruby with a wave of her hand – and turned to face the first target on the left side of the clearing. Picking up her beloved Glock, she shifted into a two-handed stance and locked on the target.

The two older women jumped at the sound of the first shot even through their ear protection. The next rounds were less jarring, but they still remained tense as they watched a focused Emma do what she was apparently well-trained to do. When the shooting stopped, the Sheriff ejected the magazine, cleared the chamber, and laid the Glock back on the table. Without a look back, she walked down to the target, gesturing for them to follow.

When they got close, Regina furrowed her brow. "You only hit the target once? I thought you were an instructor."

Emma stammered as she tried to come up with the words to explain, but Ruby jumped in before she could finish. "Uhm, Regina? See how that hole's a bit ragged? She hit the same hole with every shot."

Eyes huge, Regina turned to the blonde with more than a little additional respect. "My apologies, Emma. That was excellent. I'll rest a bit easier about Storybrooke's safety in the future."

"Thanks," Emma responded with a smile that somehow managed to be both shy and proud at the same time.

She led the way back to the table and gestured for Ruby to pick up one of the other pistols. Standing behind the firing line, she and Regina watched as the waitress followed Emma's procedure as closely as she could remember. Moving into her stance seemed to give her trouble, however. Her body refused to cooperate, and the more she wriggled, the less comfortable she looked.

After a few seconds, Emma called out, "Need some help, Rubes?"

Ruby looked back over her shoulder. "Yeah, Emma. I can't get my feet and legs to cooperate. Can you help me get into the right position?"

Regina watched in growing surprise as Emma moved forward until she was standing directly behind Ruby. The blonde initiated full-body contact, reaching around Ruby's shoulders until her longer arms entirely encircled the other woman's. She deftly maneuvered Ruby's hands until she was satisfied they were supporting the gun properly, but when she stepped back, decided the waitress's stance was all wrong.

With eyebrows that felt like they could go no higher on her head, Regina stared at Emma placing both hands directly on Ruby's hips and ass, shifting her body first one way, then another until she was satisfied. Feelings that she was almost entirely unused to warred inside her. One felt uncomfortably like jealousy while the other she wasn't willing to give name to yet.

"Okay, you're ready to go. Wait for my signal," Emma declared, stepping back next to Regina.

Regina's only outward reaction when Emma returned was an extremely ladylike snort.

Startled, Emma turned her head so fast it wouldn't have been a stretch to think she might have injured herself. "What?"

Shaking her head, Regina gestured at their friend. "Let her shoot."

The blonde gave her a sidelong look but let it drop. "Whenever you're ready," she instructed.

This time Regina was ready for the noise of the shots and braced herself. The kickback of the first shot rocked Ruby back on her heels a bit, but she quickly compensated, tensing her stance and flexing her arms to keep them steady. When her weapon locked open on the empty magazine, she held it up with her finger off the trigger. Moving with caution, Emma took the gun from the waitress. "Not bad, Ruby, just make sure you clear the chamber and put it on safe when you're done."

Ruby flushed at the praise, but stayed silent as they went to inspect her target. She wasn't nearly as good of a shot as Emma, but she managed to hit the round circle at the center of the target with every one of her shots. "Nice work, Ruby!" Regina congratulated.

"Thanks," the younger woman smiled as they went back to the shooting area.

When they got back to the table, the other two women turned with expectant looks to Regina. "Oh, no. I don't think so. Why don't the two of you take turns and I'll just watch?

With a roll of her eyes, Emma picked up a magazine and loaded it without looking, which earned her an impressed glance from the other two. "I set all this up specifically for _you_ , Regina. We came here to help _you_ blow off steam after everything happened. I really think you'll enjoy this. Just try it out, see if you like it, okay?"

Regina pursed her lips but decided to trust Emma. She took the pistol with some trepidation, but strode to the firing line without any break in her step. A mischievous smirk crossed her face when she thought of a perfect way to get a little dig back at Ruby. She purposefully fidgeted in place at the firing line, keeping her stance unsettled and weak-looking. After a few moments she was rewarded with an impatient huff from the blissfully oblivious Sheriff.

"Honestly, I thought I told you both how to get comfortable in your stances. Just stand there, Regina," Emma sighed as she came forward. Just as she had before with Ruby, Emma's hands traced down her arms as the blonde molded her entire body along Regina's. The instant Regina felt the two soft lumps on Emma's chest press into her back, she questioned the wisdom of repaying Ruby in kind as a spark of warmth lit in her belly. Resolutely refusing to examine what the feeling meant, Regina instead attributed it to the strange sensation of human contact, just like at Granny's with Ruby.

Human contact, that was all.

Especially when she felt little tingles of magic coursing through the veins just below her skin when Emma's surprisingly strong hands wrapped around her more dainty appendages, demonstrating the proper way to hold the pistol. From their times sharing magic to achieve larger results, Regina knew Emma felt the same tingles. It was just sharing magic.

Nothing more.

She had to ruthlessly suppress a shiver as Emma's breath tickled her ear. "Just hold your arms in position. You'll do just fine."

Just human breath-contact. That was all.

While she was happy with her grip, Emma was seemingly unsatisfied with her stance. First she bumped Regina's ass with her pelvis, the sexuality inherent in the move apparently lost on the blonde, though it was not lost at all on Regina herself. That heat in her belly was growing with every touch and moving southward as it did so.

Apparently her stance was even worse than Ruby's, as Emma was forced to squat down behind her, sliding her hands down Regina's back with little pushes here and there. The blonde eventually grabbed her ass much like she'd done with Ruby and pushed it to the right just enough. "There. I think that'll work."

Chancing a look over her shoulder, Regina saw Ruby watching the scene with intense interest, but not the negative emotions of anger or jealousy that she'd expected. Rather, Ruby's eyes were almost entirely black, her nostrils were flared, and she was biting her lower lip.

She had to force her attention back to the targets in front of her when Emma straightened up and moved back to join Ruby. Holding the pistol at the low ready, Regina waited for Emma's command.

"Whenever you're ready, your majesty," Emma snarked.

Gritting her teeth, Regina raised her weapon, flipped the safety off as Emma had demonstrated, and took aim through the sights just like Emma had told them. She pulled the trigger slowly, feeling the pressure build until it snapped and the shot fired. The recoil was stronger than she'd imagined, but she was able to maintain her stance. She kept her focus, firing off the remaining rounds in quick succession until the slide locked open.

As much as she was sure she wasn't going to enjoy the experience, Regina couldn't deny the exhilaration of shooting a gun at a target. It was not unlike using her magic, but in a controlled environment. Her fingers trembled slightly as she flipped the safety back on and cleared the chamber.

"Nice," Emma complimented as she took the pistol from her, "Let's see how you did."

The three walked to the last of the targets, to check the grouping. Regina felt a rush of pride; her shots occupied a noticeably smaller cluster than Ruby's, even if she had a long way to go before she was as good as Emma.

"Now," Emma said, turning to her with a beaming grin, "Did you like that?"

Shrugging, Regina allowed her the victory of being right. "I did. You were right. There was something viscerally enjoyable about it."

"Yes!" Emma exulted, punching the air in celebration. "Now that we have that out of the way, I have a special surprise for you."

"You mean the shooting wasn't enough?"

"Oh, it was," the blonde threw over her shoulder as she jogged back to the center, determined to get the magazines reloaded as fast as possible, "But I planned something extra just for you."

Ruby and Regina shared a glance before rejoining Emma at the center of the clearing. The blonde wore a devilish grin as she reloaded a magazine into one of the Sigs. When the pistol was loaded and ready, she replaced it on the table and gestured to the row of figures at the back of the clearing.

Regina initially followed, but stopped short when she saw the row of person-shaped targets. Instead of having a bull's-eye in the middle, the highest scoring zones were centered on areas that would do the most damage. "I don't know, Emma. I'm a reformed villain now, remember? I don't think the townspeople would appreciate it if they knew I was out here blasting away at something that looked like a person, even without magic."

Emma chuckled. "I know, and I figured that. Think about it like this: what if you were in a world without magic, like in New York, and someone was trying to kidnap Henry? Wouldn't you rather know you could do what had to be done?"

Regina didn't hesitate a heartbeat. "If Henry's life was in danger and I couldn't access my magic I'd empty the clip into the bastard."

"I thought so," Emma chuckled, guiding Regina back to the weapons table and handing her the Sig. "Okay, just head back to the line and take aim, just like before. Pick your spot and focus on that."

She tried. She really tried to put the idea of shooting another person out of her head. Regina tried telling herself that it was just a differently-shaped target, that it was someone going after Henry, that she needed to end a threat, but the damn Charmings had rubbed off on her. She was too much the hero now to be comfortable with shooting someone. She lowered her weapon and turned back to the other women. "This is silly. I don't want to do this."

"I was expecting this. Wait a second, Regina. I have one more surprise for you," Emma promised.

The two brunettes turned to watch the targets, Regina with dubious eyes, Ruby with interest. With a flick of her fingers, Emma's magic transformed the person-shaped target into a perfect image of Robin Hood. Somehow, she even got it to speak. "I have to leave with Marian, Regina," it whined, eerily reminiscent of the real man.

This time Regina didn't think at all. Her hands brought the gun up on pure reflex, and before she knew it, the magazine was empty. She cleared the chamber and flipped the safety on, only then hearing through her ear protection the guffaws of her shooting partners. She turned to look at them, intent on finding out why they were taking such humor at her expense, but they were both doubled over, clutching their stomachs.

Looking back to the target, she felt her own laughter bubbling up at the sight of two holes in the target's head, one in his heart, and the rest clustered tightly in his crotch.

* * *

On their way back from the shooting range, Ruby was quiet, letting the other two talk about shooting together. It had been a revealing experience, especially in how she reacted to Emma's touch when her friend was helping her stance. The tingles that spread across her skin when Emma touched her back were nothing compared to the heat that surged low in her belly when the blonde grabbed her hips and ass. Watching Emma do the same with Regina, rather than make her feel jealous after her revelation, turned her on more than she would have believed. Even under the curse, Ruby had thought Regina was smoking hot. Now that her memories were restored and they were in a land without all the emotional baggage of the Enchanted Forest – not to mention how Regina had mellowed – she felt free to appreciate the sultry brunette.

Regina, fighting through lingering chuckles at her decimation of the target, turned to the blonde walking next to her. "Thank you, Emma. I wasn't sure that would be fun, but you were right."

No one could have missed the pride and happiness that crossed Emma's face after Regina gave her such sincere thanks. "No problem, Regina. Shooting always used to help me feel better."

"Oh yes," Ruby breathed, making her voice extra raspy for effect, "It was an amazing _release_."

This time it was the two older women who burst into laughter when Emma, stunned into autopilot at the comment, walked into a tree.

* * *

 **A/N: Reviews are always welcome!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who favorited or alerted this story! It's definitely a departure for me, so if I can keep anyone's interest I count it as a victory.  
**

 **As always, I don't claim to own anything you might recognize.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Mayor Mills," Regina barked into her phone, irritation at the newest interruption to a busy day seeping through her voice. " _What_ did you hear?"…"Why aren't you calling the Sheriff's station?"…"No answer?" …"No, I don't know what their shift schedules are. I trust Sheriff Swan to run her own station."..."Oh, all right. I'll call a deputy and take care of it myself. Good day!"

Regina slammed the phone back into its cradle and put her head in her hands. Of all the days for Emma to be unavailable, she had to pick the busiest day in Regina's week. Then a thought occurred to her. Picking up her phone again, she called Granny's. As luck would have it, Ruby answered on the first ring.

"Granny's Diner, Ruby speaking. How can I help you?"

"Ruby, it's Regina. I think we have a situation," she informed the waitress.

Surprise sounded over the line. "What's going on?"

Regina pursed her lips before deflecting, giving her time to put her thoughts together. "Have you heard anything about Hook today?" she asked.

She could hear the amused malice in Ruby's chuckle. "Well, word is that Emma caught him in bed with Tinkerbell and really fucked him up. That might explain why I saw him limping back to his ship earlier with two black eyes and a broken nose."

"And I just got a call from a concerned citizen about gunfire coming from the woods," Regina finished.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Ruby's voice told Regina that both women had put two and two together and arrived at the proper conclusion.

"When is your shift over?" Regina asked, leaning back in her sinfully comfortable office chair, relishing the sensation of the supple leather on her skin.

There was a muffled shout before Ruby came back on the line. "I'm good to go now."

"I need to clear some meetings. Meet me at my office. Bring ice cream and whiskey," she instructed.

"Okay. I might have an idea. Do you trust me?"

That caught Regina short. Did she trust the other woman? Five years ago the answer would have been a resounding, 'No, now stand still so I can crush your heart,', but after four years in Storybrooke, she'd seen other qualities in the woman that improved her earlier opinion. "Very well. I'll follow your lead, but if this gets out of hand I reserve the right to veto the evening and transport us back to my house."

"See you in ten minutes," Ruby promised before hanging up on her end.

Punching the button on her intercom, Regina told her secretary to cancel all her remaining meetings for the rest of the day. That task completed, she gathered her things and waited for Ruby's arrival, planning ideas for how to help Emma. If the blonde was staging a battle recreation in the woods after Hook was seen beaten to a pulp, the gossip that she'd caught him cheating was almost certainly right. The idea that Emma and the Handless Wonder were no longer whispering sweet nothings started the strangest sensation growing in her chest.

Without focusing too much attention on the feeling, she turned her attention back to the matter at hand. If Emma was out shooting at targets in the woods, there was a very good chance she would need some other ways to blow off steam that evening. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long before partner in crime arrived The tone on her intercom had barely finished sounding before Ruby was striding into her office, right on time, carrying two garment bags over her shoulder. "Ready to go cheer someone up?"

Regina's eyebrows rose when she saw the bags, asking without words what Ruby was planning.

"I got to know Emma pretty well before the Curse broke and then afterward. I think I know a good way for her to blow off some steam," the younger woman shrugged, suddenly unsure of her plan around Regina.

Sensing the other woman's unease, Regina recognized the social cue and walked over to her…friend and gave her a hug. The embrace started off awkward and reserved but rapidly warmed at the increasingly familiar feel of Ruby's body pressed against hers. The waitress appeared slender in her scanty work outfits, but the hugs they had started sharing told her just how soft the younger woman's body really was. The pleasant sensation of holding her was becoming familiar. Whatever man was lucky enough to end up with her was in for a very special treat, she mused as she felt Ruby's chest against her own.

The waitress certainly knew how to dress for an occasion, Regina realized. For a trip to the woods today, she had taken the time to change out of her alluring work outfits into form-fitting black denim with a forest green cloak. She'd long since abandoned her enchanted red cape when she learned to control her wolf. "You look very nice," she complimented.

Ruby returned the smile, giving Regina a slow up and down examination. When she lingered on a couple places south of the older woman's neck it sent pleasant tingles racing down Regina's spine. "So do you, Madam Mayor. I don't think I've seen you in jeans and a sweater very often. That shade of purplish-red is really your color."

Regina ducked her head to hide her blush. "Thank you," she murmured before looking back up, dragging her eyes up Ruby just as the wolf had done to her. "Now how about we go offer some comfort before Emma goes on a rampage?"

That turned Ruby's grin into a belly laugh. "After you."

Shaking her head, Regina wrapped her arm around Ruby's waist, the earlier tingles making her bold. "Nope, we'll go together." Violet smoke swirled around them as her magic took them to the woods just outside the clearing

* * *

Emma stood on the firing line, blasting away at the human silhouette targets that looked exactly like Killian Jones. From the back it looked like she was fighting to keep her shoulders up, struggling between anger and depression. The two brunette women could almost feel the turmoil seeping from their friend.

Standing back, they waited for Emma to empty her clip. When the shooting stopped, Emma turned around, noticing them for the first time. Regina was struck by the emotions warring for dominance across her face. In short order, anguish, anger, surprise, relief, and joy passed across her expression.

She set the weapon down on the same table that she'd used for their shooting excursion the week before. Regina observed the slightest tremor in the blonde's fingers and quickly made sure that her gun and any other weapons nearby were secured in the hard case Emma brought with her.

Ruby held the whiskey bottle in one hand and the sack of ice cream in the other when Emma looked at them with furrowed brows. "We bring the traditional supplies for a post-breakup binge."

Regina stepped forward. "You're not allowed to wallow all on your own in the woods. Now that you're done blowing holes in fake targets, how about we go get you cleaned up and get on with our evening?"

"What do you have planned?" the blonde asked with a grating voice that showed the other women exactly how upset she was. Surprised at the display of emotion, Regina tried to think about why the woman might be upset. The answer hit her with a surge of remorse. Emma had grown up largely alone, so losing a personal connection must have hit her hard.

"We're going to take good care of you tonight, aren't we Ruby?" she asked, bumping the werewolf's hip with her own.

A flush spread across Ruby's face at the open affection. She huffed and smiled at Regina before looking at her other friend. "Oh yeah, we're going to take good care of you, babe. We're going clubbing!"

"We are?" Regina asked, looking out of the side of her eye at Ruby. When the waitress bumped her hip, she looked back at Emma with a smile plastered across her face. "We are!"

Emma pursed her lips, a lifetime of insecurity making her unsure about imposing on her friends for a night of their time for her to wallow, but Ruby looked genuinely excited about the prospect and even Regina had a real smile. For once she allowed herself to relax. She had friends and they cared about her. She wasn't alone. "Okay. That actually sounds exactly like what I need."

"Do the honors, Regina?" Ruby requested as she gestured for Emma to get in between herself and the Mayor, with each of the brunettes putting an arm around the blonde to maintain contact for the teleportation.

With a long-suffering sigh that was exactly zero percent real, Regina waved her hand once more and transported them back to her house.

* * *

Still unaccustomed to poofing anywhere, Emma swayed and fell back onto the sofa in Regina's bedroom when the smoke cleared. "That never gets any easier," she said after taking a deep breath to steady herself.

"Tell me about it," Ruby agreed, plopping down next to her.

Regina rolled her eyes at the two of them. "Amateurs."

Emma looked around. "Wait, what are we doing in your bedroom?"

"I thought you might appreciate the opportunity to shower off the smell of gunpowder before we head out for our evening," the older woman responded, flicking her fingers to conjure bowls for the ice cream and tumblers for the whiskey. Pouring a generous portion for each, she handed Ruby and Emma their glasses before raising her own. "To beating the demons of the past and looking forward to the future."

The clink of glass meeting class almost echoed in the room as Emma and Ruby tried to process the possible meanings behind Regina's toast.

After downing the drink, Regina pointed off to her bathroom. "Off you go. There's a clean towel next to the shower, and everything else you need is ready."

The simple caring in the gesture was touching, and Emma gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Regina."

It was probably unintentional, but Emma had her shirt whipped off and tossed out into the middle of the room as soon as her back was turned, giving the brunettes an eyeful of her naked back. Her naked, very toned back. Ruby let out a sound not unlike a squeak as the door closed behind her.

"Are you okay, dear?" Regina asked, a knowing smile on her face.

Taking a deep breath to calm her suddenly racing nerves, Ruby tuned to look at the older woman. "It's just…what are we doing here? It feels like something is happening, but I'm not really sure I know what it is."

Suddenly serious, Regina took a moment to frame her reply. It wasn't like she knew what she was doing, either. "We're…having fun without worrying about the consequences," she answered, hoping that would get the werewolf to stop the uncomfortable line of questioning.

"You've never done anything in your life without worrying about the consequences, Regina," Ruby teased.

She was about to continue when the shower turned on and both women were assailed by mental images of what was happening in the other room. Flustered, Regina tried to break the awkwardness. "Well, I'm doing a lot of new things these days. We just went shooting in the woods, didn't we?"

"We did," Ruby nodded.

Just then a groan of pure pleasure sounded from the bathroom.

"I'm – I'm sure she's just expressing relief at the hot water on her muscles," Regina coughed.

"Maybe turn the TV on?" suggested the other woman.

"Do you see a television in here, Ruby?" Regina gestured, "I can't abide the thought of one in my bedroom."

Ruby shook her head, laughing to herself at the situation. "Well then I guess I'll just sit here trying not to imagine what's going on in that room on the other side of this door."

Regina whirled on her, fire in her eyes. "You will do no such thing!" she growled, advancing on the waitress, "That woman is our friend, and she's had a very upsetting day. She doesn't deserve to be objectified by anyone, much less people she considers friends."

Putting her hands up in front of her, Ruby tried to stem the tide of ire coming at her, suspiciously tinged in green though it was. "Woah, Regina. I didn't mean any of that. I just was teasing since it doesn't seem like any of us know what's going on here."

"You still shouldn't talk about her that way," Regina grumped, moving back over to her closet to figure out what to wear for their evening.

"Regina," Ruby said in a quiet tone, gliding over the carpet to the mayor, "You have to know that whatever's going on here isn't just you and her, you and me, or me and her. It's all of us. We're in some kind of circle here where it's all three of us."

"What does that even mean?" Regina hated the weakness in her voice.

With a shrug, Ruby made her way over to the settee Regina kept in her room. "It means we see where this takes us. I can't say I really have an issue spending so much time with two stunningly gorgeous women, can you?"

The older woman gave a noncommittal shrug, but the telltale blush spreading across her cheekbones told Ruby everything she needed to know. "Besides," the waitress continued, "You guys are my friends first, before anything else. That's all that matters."

Ruby's sincerity was obvious, and it calmed Regina's agitation. "I don't really know what's going on either. After everything that happened with Robin, I don't really trust my own judgment."

"Oh, Regina," Ruby protested, going over to the other woman, "Making a mistake doesn't mean you shouldn't trust yourself. We've all done stuff like that. Whale," she finished with a shudder.

Regina gave a wry smile at the sympathy. "Thank you, dear." She hesitantly held out her arms, almost like she expected to be rejected. Ruby's reaction surprised her. A wide smile spread across her face like the rising sun. Without a moment of hesitation she got to her feet and leaned into Regina's hug. The warmth of the embrace surprised them both, but feeling the emotional acceptance after the vulnerability of their conversation was a welcome relief.

"Awww," sounded a voice from behind them. The two brunettes had gotten so involved in their conversation they hadn't noticed the shower turn off. Emma was standing in the doorway clad in only a towel, hair hanging down in damp strands that framed her face.

"We were sharing a moment, Blondie," Ruby sassed.

With a raised eyebrow, Emma moved across the room to the garment bag Regina had cast across the bottom of the bed. Leaning over to fish the cocktail dress out of the bag, she missed Regina and Ruby quickly looking away with twin blushes at the fleeting glimpse of rounded flesh Emma unwittingly put on display.

"So, we're obviously not going camping tonight," she observed.

Finally meeting her gaze, Regina raised her hand and snapped her fingers, clothing all three women for the evening with a single gesture instead of risking any more accidental glimpses of tempting skin.

* * *

 **A/N: Constructive feedback always welcome!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Here we are with the penultimate chapter of this little departure of mine. It's been a step outside my comfort zone as a writer, but that's how we grow, and all that jazz, right?  
**

 **As always, I claim ownership of...nothing, really. At least nothing you'd recognize.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Ugh."

The sentiment of pained disgust echoed twice more around Regina's spacious bedroom.

Emma almost shook her head, but decided better of it at the last moment. "What the hell happened last night?" her brain wanted to say, but given the combination of an excessive amount of alcohol and a less-than-excessive amount of water to ward off the dehydration, it came out more as "whada hell happ' lashnight?"

Fortunately for her, Ruby was fluent in hangover-ese. "We tried to drink our weight in tequila and whiskey," she groaned from her position curled up in Regina's chair.

"Why, why, why did I let you two lead me down into the depths of debauchery?" Regina grumbled, ensconced in her preposterously comfortable bed.

"We're all still clothed, your Majesty. Not exactly any kind of debauchery I'm familiar with," Emma said with a wry chuckle from a position that neither of the other women could place.

"Where are you?" asked the mayor, stretching and rubbing her eyes.

"Ouch! Shit," cursed Emma, rolling from her side to her belly and pushing herself to her knees with great difficulty, "I'm on the floor. Guess I decided to sleep here."

"I thought I was supposed to be the guard dog," Ruby joked, easing into a sitting position and putting her head in her hands.

"Ha ha," retorted the blonde, "You know we don't think of you that way."

"I know. Just easier to joke about it," answered the waitress with a shrug.

Emma got to her feet, reaching out to the bed for leverage. "Guys, I hate to intrude on truly epic hangovers, but if we get dressed and make our way downstairs, we might be able to get some really greasy post drinking food."

"Ugh," groaned Regina, "I don't know how you can even think about food right now. Who am I kidding? It's you. Of course you can eat with a hangover that would kill a horse."

"Well none of us are dead yet, your royal highness," snarked the blonde, "So I think we're okay. We don't even have to get dressed or do the walk of shame."

That made Ruby look down. Sure enough she was still dressed from the night before. "Here's a crazy thought. Henry and David are going on that Boy Scout camping trip, right?"

Regina squinted, trying to remember when she'd mentioned the plans. "Yes, they should be leaving in," she paused, checking her clock, "an hour or so. Why do you ask?"

"How about we take a lazy day, then? Get into some sweats, get rid of these hangovers, and just stay in and watch movies all day?"

"Oh, God that sounds like heaven," Emma moaned.

Pursing her lips, Regina took in the sight of her exhausted friends in their wrinkled club dresses. She was in one herself. It went against her inclinations to waste an entire day doing nothing at all, but the idea of spending it in the company of these women was tantalizing enough that her instincts barely put up a token resistance. "I think after last night, a day of rest and entertainment sounds like exactly what the doctor ordered."

"Awesome. I just didn't bring anything to change into," Ruby commented, her excitement at having the others agree to her idea tempered by the realization that she had nothing to wear and would have to go back to the bed and breakfast to get her things.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Please. Emma, would you care to do the honors?" she gave a regal movement of her hand, gesturing between the three of them.

With a grin, the blonde got to her feet, her coordination improving with time. She stood in the middle of the room, directly between Regina and Ruby, and closed her eyes. With her hands extended, she slowly began to move them in a circle. Gleaming white smoke swirled around the room, gradually thickening to the point where no one could see anyone else. When it cleared, they were all changed out of their club dresses and into much more comfortable clothing, perfect for a lounging around kind of day.

Ruby looked down. Emma had chosen well, dressing her in skin-tight yoga pants that left absolutely nothing to the imagination and…she wiggled her hips…no panties. _Oh Emma, you naughty girl,_ she thought with an internal grin. Her shirt was a skin-tight camisole under a loose sweater. From the look on Regina's face, she could tell the older woman had made the same realizations, but like her chose not to comment.

"What should we watch first?"

* * *

During their day spent recovering from hangovers, their main activities consisted of relaxing on preposterously comfortable sofas in Regina's living room. They'd made their way through a movie marathon, including _The Breakfast Club_ , _The Princess Bride_ , _Back to the Future_ (which had Emma snorting about her own trip to the past), and of course _Star Wars_.

Regina yawned and stretched, somehow making the less-than-graceful movement look positively regal. Emma found it more difficult than she expected to look away. "So, um," she coughed, "I know you're really into health food and all, Regina, but I was wondering if you would be okay with splurging a bit and having pizza to go along with the rest of our movies?"

Opening her mouth to object, Regina saw the hope in the other women's eyes and couldn't muster the energy she needed to launch into a speech on healthy food and nutrition. "Make mine vegetarian, at least."

Emma rewarded her with a blinding smile as she reached for her cell phone.

* * *

"Mmmm," Regina moaned around a bite of bread, sauce, peppers, mushrooms, and olives all bonded together with the perfect amount of mozzarella, "I need to eat this more often."

"Did you hear what I heard, Ruby?" Emma teased with her eyes twinkling, "Did the Mistress of Healthy Food just say she wanted to eat more greasy, cholesterol-filled pizza?"

"I think she did! It truly is a miracle," the waitress responded.

With a roll of her eyes so severe it felt like she would have a headache later, Regina scoffed at the other two. "Oh, please. It's not as if I'm a complete stranger to junk food. I know you've both tried my pie before."

Ruby couldn't help the snort that escaped at the innuendo. Nor could Emma a half-second later. Snorts gave way to giggles which turned into coughs around mouthfuls of triple-meat and plain cheese pizza.

"What are the two of you…oh my God," muttered Regina, unable to stop the flush spreading down from cheeks to neck. "Children. Both of you are children."

After catching her breath, Ruby took a deep pull of the light beer that Regina had begun keeping for the younger two women. She took a look around the room and asked a question that had been nagging at her all evening. "Say, Emma, I have to ask: why cheese?"

"Because some dairy farmer once left milk out too long and got a little hungry?" the blonde sassed, still feeling the excitement of the moment.

"Ha ha. Why do you like cheese pizza? I mean any other topping or combination of toppings out there and you stick with plan Jane cheese? Not even a Hawaiian? What's up with that?" Ruby clarified, pushing a bit more than usual to try to get an answer.

Neither brunette expected Emma's reaction as the blonde tucked her knees together, kept her elbows close, and bent her head down over her plate, effectively folding in on herself.

Concerned, the two brunettes moved closer, sitting on either side of her but not touching, not trying to make her any more uncomfortable. "Emma? What's wrong? What happened?" Regina kept her voice gentle and calm, trying to avoid spooking the younger woman.

"Nothing. It's stupid. Don't worry about it. Let's just enjoy the movie and pizza," the blonde demurred.

"Ems," Ruby protested, scooting closer, "If it upsets you that much it's not nothing. What's the matter?"

Taking a deep breath, Emma finally looked up at the other two women, remembering all the trials and tribulations that had brought them closer and decided for once in her adult life to take the risk and let someone behind her walls. "It's just…when I was in the foster homes, pizza was cheap, but they would only pay for cheese, so that's all I ever had growing up and it just kind of stuck with me." She finished in a weak voice, looking back down at her plate and hating how small she sounded, unable to think even to herself what her friends would think of her.

Emma almost jumped at the feeling of a hand sliding around her back from either side. "We didn't know," Ruby explained, regret coloring the tone of her voice, "And we're sorry. Right, Regina?" she pushed, nudging the older woman to the far side.

"Yes, I apologize as well. I didn't mean to make you feel inadequate. You are far more than your past would indicate," Regina answered. Seeing the blonde turn to her with suspiciously gleaming eyes, she felt the need to continue speaking. "I can't regret the Dark Curse. It gave me Henry, who I love with every atom of my being. In a roundabout way it gave me friends, in the two of you. However, I can regret the Curse's unintended effects. The life you led as a child was a horrible consequence of the Curse, whether or not I forced your parents to send you through that wardrobe I have always felt partially responsible, and I do regret that."

Emma looked at the older woman, unable to control the tears streaming down her face. "Thank you, Regina. I needed to hear that," she breathed.

Just as she was about to wrap her arms around Regina, the brunette surprised her by initiating the embrace first. The warmth of the hug chased Emma's insecurities away like snowflakes. Burying her face in Regina's neck, Emma inhaled deeply, smelling the unique scent that always seemed to follow Regina around: a unique mix of cinnamon and apples that had stopped smelling like anything other than _home_ a while ago.

A sniff from the other woman in the room brought them out of the moment without really breaking it. "I guess that's why meat lovers pizza is my all-time favorite," Ruby grinned, "Being just a part wolf and all."

Sliding out of the hug, Regina scooted across her sofa and took the waitress's hands in her own. "You are so much more than just a wolf or just a waitress. Your dual nature makes you one of the strongest, most interesting people in all of Storybrooke or the Enchanted Forest. Never doubt that you are an amazing woman, Ruby Lucas."

"I don't think I could say it nearly as well, Ruby, so yeah, ditto what Regina said," Emma echoed in a quiet voice.

Ruby wiped at a suspicious glimmer in her eyes. "You guys are something else. No one has ever told me anything like that before."

"Well as long as we're friends, no one will ever make you feel like you're anything less than the wonderful person you are," Regina promised, squeezing Ruby's forearms before moving back to her own space and taking up her pizza again.

With a confirming nod from Emma, Ruby felt the weight in her heart lighten, knowing that whatever else the world thought of her, the other women with her would always be there for her.

* * *

The next night Regina and Emma were holed up at Town Hall. Having spent so much after-hours time with hobbies instead of work, the Mayor showed up and demanded her Sheriff catch up on paperwork. She softened the blow with a magically-conjured meal of Emma's favorite Chinese food, but it was still a night stuck inside doing paperwork, and Emma was grumpy.

"Why the hell do we even have to do paperwork here in Storybrooke? Doesn't the whole town like, not exist?" Emma wondered after a record-breaking five minutes of silent work.

Regina groaned, burying her head in her hands at the blonde's short attention span, but Emma continued without a pause.

"I mean, it's not like anything would or wouldn't get done if we didn't do this paperwork, right?"

"Emma! For the last time please just do the damn paperwork!" she snapped, "If your attention span were any shorter I'd swear there was goldfish somewhere in your ancestry!"

The blonde looked down, shame coloring her face. "Sorry. I've just never had that much interest in filling out forms. After a while the boxes and lines start to swirl in front of my eyes."

Hearing how small Emma's voice got at the admission, which for once did not have to be dragged out of her, Regina gave her another appraisal. The same embarrassment she saw amplified in her as realization swept over her. "Emma," she started again, "I need these papers for the town. You saw how much trouble Snow had when she was Mayor. If these papers are filled and filed correctly, then the town can keep running in the event of…in case something happens to me," she finished.

Emma's head snapped up, looking at her with piercing green eyes that showed first fear and then understanding. "I get it now. I promise I'll do the paperwork on time and completely from now on."

Giving her an appreciative grin, Regina squeezed her forearm in thanks.

Before they could say another word, each was struck with the sudden, overwhelming feeling that something was very, very wrong.

"Ruby?" Emma asked, wanting to confirm her gut.

"I feel it, too," agreed Regina, calling on her magic to sense the werewolf's location before taking both of them there in a cloud of purple.

* * *

Appearing in the midst of the Rabbit Hole left Emma disoriented, but she stayed on her feet. Shaking her head clear, she started scanning the dark room.

Behind her, Regina was doing the same. "There. Over by the bar."

Emma followed her pointed finger, seeing Ruby leaning against the bar, backed into place by one of the larger Merry Men. Not Little John, but a different, bigger guy. Looking at least six feet, two inches or more tall and weighing more than three hundred pounds, he made Ruby look like a stick figure.

The werewolf's stance was awkward, missing all her usual grace and composure. When she tried to move away from the bar, her hand slipped and she was too sluggish to catch herself. As Regina's alarmed gasp echoed in her ears, Emma saw the guy slide his hand into his pocket. It was dark, but she was able to see the flash of light shining off something metal or glass in his hand.

"He fucking drugged her!" she hissed, grabbing Regina's arm. "The bastard just put something in his pocket."

Regina's eyes glinted purple in rage before softening at Ruby's glassy eyes. "Can you take him down? I want to get Ruby away from him."

"I can handle a forest fart no sweat," Emma growled before marching up behind the man. "Sheriff Swan. Take your hand out of your pocket, nice and slow for me. Put whatever it was you just tried to hide on the bar there." At her barked order, the crowd watching the scene melted away, leaving them ample room.

The muscular cords in his neck tweaked, but he complied, putting a nearly empty vial on the bar.

"Now put both hands on the bar and leave them there. I mean it. If I see one funny move from you, you go head first through the wall," she ordered.

The man's curly hair slumped as his head fell, but he kept the stance as ordered. Looking over at Regina as the brunette tried to keep Ruby from moving too much, Emma handed over the vial. "Can you tell what's in this?"

Taking the small glass container, Regina closed her eyes, willing her magic to sense the contents, but after a moment she shook her head. "I can't; there's no magical signature. Whatever it is came from this world."

With a frown, Emma took the glass back. She unscrewed the lid while keeping an eye on the not-so-Merry Man. Lifting the vial to her nose she took a quick sniff, but couldn't detect any scent. A tiny touch of her tongue told the story. "Rohpynol. Fucking asshole," she snarled, giving their prisoner a savage kick.

"What?" asked Regina, rubbing Ruby's back as the younger woman tried to balance on a stool.

"Roofies. He fucking drugged her," Emma explained, trying to keep the rage out of her voice. "And I have a pretty good idea where he got the shit."

Realization dawned on Regina. The only person outside Storybrooke who a Merry Man could ask for something was Robin. "Oh, no."

"Yep," agreed Emma with a grim set to her jaw, "I need to make a call to an old contact in the NYPD."

"Ruby is going to need our help tonight and tomorrow," said Regina, looking down at the waitress, "Would you call your father to take this scum to the station and start the paperwork?"

Nodding, Emma was already fishing out her phone. "That's a good idea. Hey, Dad? I know it's late but can you get over to the Rabbit Hole? There's a situation…okay, thanks."

"He's on his way," she explained when she hung up.

Regina gave her a small smile in thanks. "I think I'm going to take Ruby back to my house. She needs to be lying down before the drugs kick in."

"Okay," Emma agreed, "I'll be along as soon as David gets here to take charge of this asshole."

She watched as Regina and Ruby disappeared in a cloud of sparkly smoke. Turning her attention to the Merry Man, Emma summoned her handcuffs with her magic. "I don't suppose you're familiar with the Miranda rights yet," she said, snapping one on the beefy wrist, "You have the right to remain silent…"

She never saw it coming. The Miranda speech was cut off when his uncuffed hand swung back and caught her squarely in the face, breaking her nose. Stumbling back in a daze, Emma shook her head in an attempt to clear it and immediately regretted the action as the pounding in her skull intensified. As the man advanced on her with hate in his eyes, she remembered the first lesson she'd received in the krav maga class her bounty hunting boss had insisted she take, which reinforced something she'd learned in foster care: whenever you're in a fight with someone that much bigger than you, never ever let them get their hands on you.

Dancing back, she assessed her situation. Blood was flowing down her face and she was having a hard time breathing through the injury, but David was on his way, and her parents' loft wasn't too far from the Rabbit Hole, so she only had to hold the guy off for a few minutes before her father would get there to back her up. Emma looked around to see what she had available. There was a possibility over to her left, but to get there she'd have to go around the behemoth advancing on her.

He was quicker on his feet than she'd expected. Before she was ready, he was upon her. Taking a chance and swinging hard at his face to buy herself some time, Emma heard a satisfying crunch, then, "Fucking shit!" she yelled after a heartbeat's pause. The wave of pain sweeping up her body from her right hand was almost overwhelming. After a failed attempt at flexing her fingers, she knew at least a few bones were broken.

The hulk in front of her shook his head and grinned, knowing he had her right where he wanted. Needing to buy time, she dropped down and, balancing on her good hand, swung her left foot to knock his legs out from under him. The Merry Man fell back and shattered a table , conveniently providing her with a weapon. Grabbing a table leg, she cocked back like it was a baseball bat and swung, knocking the man out just as the front door burst open and David ran in.

"What's the troub…Emma? Are you all right? What happened?" He made his way over to her and started checking her injuries.

The genuine concern in his eyes for her well-being made the orphan foster girl that would always be inside her tear up with joy. With a watery smile, she wrapped her arms around him. Surprised at the show of emotion he returned the embrace, cradling her head against his shoulder before she stepped back.

"This piece of shit roofied Ruby," she said, gesturing at the prone figure, "Regina and I felt her distress and teleported here just in time to see him put the container back in his pocket. She has Ruby back at her house, and I stayed to take care of him. He fought back, but I was able to subdue him. I was hoping you could take him to the station for me while I go get these treated?" her inflection trailed up at the end, turning the statement into a question.

"He drugged Ruby? This guy tried to use a date-rape drug on a werewolf?" David asked, incredulous. "Maybe putting him in a cell would be for his own good. I wouldn't want to be him the next time Ruby shifts."

Emma gave a mirthless chuckle. "You should see Regina. I'm going to have to work to get them both calmed down, first Regina and then Ruby when she wakes up. Still, he had to get the drug from outside Storybrooke, and since the only person I know outside town that would help a Merry Man is in New York, I'm going to have to call the NYPD to make them aware."

"Shit," David gave a rare curse. "I can't believe Robin would have done that, but you're right, there's nowhere else it could have come from. Okay. Let's get Andre the Giant here in cuffs and I'll take him in."

"I'll never not be surprised at how much knowledge of this world the Curses gave you guys," Emma shook her head at the thought and winced as waves of pain punished her for the action.

David put his hand on her shoulder. "I'll handle things here. You go to the hospital. Are you okay to drive? No wooziness?"

"Thanks, Dad," she said, feeling that warmth once more, "I can make it out there. I'll check in with you in the morning?"

"Of course, kiddo. Feel better," he declared, before squatting down and rolling the prisoner over and cuffing his other hand.

Emma strode out of the bar, not sparing a look at any of the citizens who watched her without stepping in to help.

* * *

Sitting in one of the examination rooms of Storybrooke's Emergency Department while Doctor Whale examined her X-rays, Emma marveled at how modern things were, compared to the first time she was there when Henry was unconscious from a turnover. Things had really changed, but the only thing she could point to that made any sense was the Curse her own parents cast to bring them back here. They had to have put something in to update all the facilities from the original Curse's 1980s technology.

A buzz in her pocket interrupted her musing, and Emma swore. Her right hand was broken but she always kept her phone in her right front pocket. Hopping off the table, she reached across her body and fished the device out in an incredibly awkward twist.

 _Will you be joining us tonight, Miss Swan?_

She grinned at the snark Regina used to hide her concern before swiping her thumb across the screen to reply.

 _As soon as Whale looks at my X-rays and gets me fitted for a cast I will be._

Regina's reply took less time to arrive than she did typing.

 _Are you okay? Why do you need X-rays? What the hell happened?_

Touched that the first thing Regina asked was about her health, Emma blinked back a tear.

 _I'm fine, or I will be. Bastard got the drop on me. Broken nose and a broken hand. I just need it set in a cast and a brace for my nose and I'll be fine. Look like a raccoon for a few days, but it's not exactly my first broken nose. I'll be okay._

This time the reply came in the form of a purple cloud and a very concerned Regina and not a text message. "Oh, my God!"

"It looks worse than it is, I promise," Emma hastened to assure her. "Like I said, it's not exactly my first rodeo."

"Believe me, there are so many follow-up questions I will be asking you eventually," Regina growled, looking her over, "But why did you come here? I could heal you with magic just as easily at home."

Emma mumbled her answer, looking at her toes.

"I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you, dear," said Regina.

"I said I didn't want to bother you, okay? You had Ruby to take care of and I didn't want to be a bother. I didn't even want to come here but David made me because of the broken hand. Speaking of Ruby, where is she? Is she okay?"

Pursing her lips at the blonde's stubbornness, Regina shook her head. "It seems I may have underestimated your father. At least he had the sense to insist you seek medical care. Ruby is fine. The drugs are working their way out of her system as she sleeps them off in my bed. Here, let me heal your hand and your nose and we can get you out of this hellhole."

"No! Wait!" Emma protested, holding her hands up as Regina raised hers to summon her magic. "You can't!"

"Well I may be relatively new to light magic, but I assure you I can handle a simple healing of broken bones and cartilage," Regina huffed, put out at the insinuation that she was incapable.

"No, that's not what I meant. I know you're amazing and you could probably heal me without so much as blinking," Emma shook her head, again regretting the movement at the fresh wave of pain. "I need these injuries to heal normally so that they're evidence for what that asshole did to me. If you heal them, it'll be like they never happened and it will be his word against mine."

Understanding her point, Regina folded her arms across her chest, a movement that didn't go unnoticed. "I see your point, but I really don't like it."

"I promise after I get discharged you can take care of me all you want, but I have to let these heal normally for at least a few days until the paperwork gets processed. Remember? I'm being diligent about that stuff now," Emma reminded her with the tiniest smirk.

"Well, I don't suppose I can exactly fault your newfound dedication to paperwork," answered the brunette, "Still, I'm healing you at the first chance I have. No arguments."

Any retort Emma could have made was cut off by Whale's return. "Okay, Emma. Just as I thought. You've broken a few of the metacarpals in your right hand and your nose is broken too…oh, hi Regina. Fancy seeing you here."

"Don't mind me, Whale. I'm just here to take a patient off your hands as soon as she's ready to go."

Seeing the doctor's hesitance to discuss her health matters in front of Regina, Emma jumped in. "It's okay, Doctor. I give you permission to speak freely. Anything you can say to me you can say in front of her."

With a small roll of his eyes, Whale continued. "Yes, well, like I said you have a few broken metacarpals and a couple minor fractures in your proximal phalanges. We'll get you into a plaster cast that you'll have to wear for a few weeks while you heal. The nose will just need a small brace. One of our nurses will be in to get you taken care of for that, and I've got everything I need for the cast. Once we're all done, I'll get you set up with a script for pain medicine. Shall we get started?"

* * *

Appearing in Regina's upstairs hallway straight from the hospital was disorienting, especially as the pain medication was kicking in. "Woah, that was like riding a roller coaster-thingy," she slurred.

"Yes, well, I do my best," answered Regina not without a grin. "You probably won't be able to stand up for a shower much longer, and there's no way I'm letting you in my bed with the germs you picked up in the hospital, so give me one minute here," and she snapped her fingers.

Purple magic swept over her, cleaning her better than bathing and clothing her in comfortable pajamas. Emma found herself wearing the softest black leggings she'd ever worn and her favorite baggy t-shirt. "That was amazing. Teach me that someday!"

"Someday," Regina agreed, "Now let's get you to bed. Ruby's in the middle and I want you closer to the wall so I can keep my eyes on you while you're on your various medications. Hopefully neither of you snore, especially you, Miss Raccoon."

"Oh Regina. You're so funny," medicated Emma giggled.

With an fondly exasperated sigh, Regina took her hand and pulled her into the master bedroom.

* * *

 **A/N: One more to go, and trust me when I say that chapter will more than earn the rating ;-)**

 **As always, reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, life has been crazy and my muse took a vacation. Now she's back and I'm able to get our leading ladies laid.  
**

 **This chapter finishes out this story, and hopefully fulfills my wife's challenge. I hope I did it justice.**

 **As always, I don't claim ownership of anything you might recognize.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Growing up in the foster care system ensured that Emma was never a deep sleeper. With the type of foster brothers and fathers she had to put up with, the ability to wake at the slightest disturbance was a valuable skill. A slight rustling brought her out of a dreamless slumber. Her eyes went wide, looking around the room as much as she could without moving. The mattress was infinitely softer than her own, and what little light there was told her the room wasn't hers.

She felt safe and comfortable. Despite the unfamiliar bed and room, Emma had no inclination to roll into a better position, pressed as she was into a firm, warm body. She wiggled her nose against a smooth neck, giving it a soft kiss with just the faintest brush of her lips. The body she was cuddling gave a happy little hum, and Emma was alert enough to notice the voice was higher-pitched than she expected.

Taking a deep, slightly painful breath in through her nose, the scent of apples and cinnamon that she'd come to identify as purely Regina assaulted her nostrils while the deep plush cloud she was floating on confirmed she was actually in Regina's bed.

Emma couldn't remember the last time she'd shared a bed with a woman, but the feeling of security currently washing over her was one she'd almost never had before. Then again, she thought as a reflexive squeeze told her exactly where her hand had been resting on her bedmate, she hadn't really ever felt up someone else's breasts either. The soft, warm flesh sent tingles from her palm to her own breasts and her increasingly warm center. Her hand caressed, feeling the full weight of the breast. Emma took a sharp intake of breath when she felt a taut peak stand up and start poking her palm. Almost of its own accord, her hand lifted off the breast slightly and started moving in a circle, keeping the nipple as its only point of contact.

She had the random thought that it was lucky that she was lying on her right side with her injured hand extended up under the pillow, leaving her good hand free to touch Ruby's breasts. Sudden realization of what she was doing stilled her motion, and the woman she was groping gave a whimper of disappointment when she froze and the movement stopped. The voice didn't seem to be as deep as Regina's, either, so her mind went into overdrive.

Ruby. She was cuddling Ruby. After the past couple weeks, waking up spooning and feeling up one of her best friends was a much less earth-shaking experience that it might have been before then. Saving each other from heartbreak and embarrassment had changed them all.

Allowing herself to enjoy the moment, her hips seemed to grind forward on Ruby's ass of their own free will, but instead of the soft, toned flesh she'd expected, Emma felt something firm pushing directly on her rapidly sensitizing core.

"What are you doing, Swan?" she heard a deeper voice rasp from the other side of the bed.

Flushing, Emma raised her head as far as her neck would allow. "Just laying here, Regina," she whispered.

"Why are you rubbing yourself on my hand?"

Emma stilled her movements, belatedly realizing that she hadn't stopped grinding. "Sorry. So, you're…?"

"Groping her in my sleep much like you are, yes," Regina deadpanned in a whisper, "And apparently enjoying it just as much as you are."

"Sorry," Emma apologized, pulling her hand off and scooting backward.

The movement was enough to draw Ruby into the moment. "The two of you can either go back to sleep or get back to what you were doing, because I was getting very happy," she whispered, and Emma knew even in the dark that the waitress was grinning.

Lifting her head once more, Emma met Regina's eyes, both debating whether or not to cross a line that could never be uncrossed.

"Oh for God's sake," Ruby huffed before surging forward and crushing her lips onto Regina's. Brown eyes shot wide open at the contact before fading closed to enjoy the press of the kiss. Emma watched Regina's hand, which had never left Ruby's yoga pants-clad ass, squeezing the supple flesh.

Remembering the feeling of Regina's knuckle on her mound, Emma grinned and shifted her hips forward, purposefully grinding her pussy onto Regina's hand. The Queen stilled her hand, popping her right eye open to look at Emma while still sucking on Ruby's tongue. A very small narrowing of her eye and the upturn of the visible corner of her mouth made the blonde relax. With a cheeky grin of her own, Emma grabbed Regina's wrist and held it in place, gyrating her core onto the brunette's fingers. With a dark chuckle that Ruby's eager mouth couldn't entirely swallow, Regina extended her fingers.

Eyebrows shooting up at the new contact, Emma rose to the challenge and slipped her legs around Regina's fingers, sliding her molten core and moaning at the sensation.

A hard thump brought everyone's attention to the headboard. Lost in the moment, Emma had shifted her arms and banged her cast against the wood. "Shit that hurts. Sorry," she muttered sheepishly, still trying to find the delicious friction.

With an eye-roll that was impressive, even for her, Regina wiggled her fingers. "There. Records are updated to include photos of the injuries. Which now allows me to do this."

Emma watched as the older woman withdrew her hand and placed it over her own face. A warm, tingling sensation overcame her, and when it cleared she could breathe much easier than before. The cast was gone from her wrist along with the pain. "You're welcome," Regina rumbled.

"Th – thank you," whispered Emma, not knowing how to fully express her gratitude at being taken care of in such a way.

"Um, what are you guys doing?" Ruby wondered, not expecting the magic show. While Emma was being healed, Ruby was rolling over onto her back to watch the interactions.

Regina gave Emma an enquiring look before turning back to the werewolf. "Emma was…hurt at the bar last night after I took you back here. She wanted to leave the injuries in place for evidence against her attacker, but I didn't want any pain to get in the way of our activities here, so I healed her after making sure the charges were updated."

"What happened? All I remember is dancing and this guy coming up to me. Then I woke up here."

After a deep breath to steady herself, Emma took over the explanation. "That guy slipped you a drug. I arrested him, but before I could get him cuffed he took a swing at me. It got physical. I broke my hand on his face and my face on his hand," she joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Ruby's eyes softened, watering. "Emma! I'm so sorry! I never meant for that to happen!"

"It's okay, Rubes," Emma whispered, placing a hand on her friend's cheek, "I'm an officer of the law, and that puts me in the line of danger sometimes. I think Regina would agree with me when I say that we'd take that chance any day when you needed us like tonight."

Mouth opening and closing without words coming out, Ruby simply reached up and crashed her lips onto Emma's with a squeak. Emma's answering gasp of surprise gave her the opening she needed to explore the blonde's mouth with her tongue.

In that moment, the past few weeks all made sense. Instead of losing what they'd had, the three of them were finding their way to each other. It all started to feel so right. For the first time ever Emma felt the taste of a woman's kiss. Soft, warm, and somehow firm all at the same time, she marveled at the varying sensations as Ruby's tongue played with her own. Comparing it to her kisses with men in the past, she couldn't help but realize that while theirs had all been hard, fast, and conquering, demanding access to her mouth and fighting her tongue for dominance. The brunette's, on the other hand, was infinitely more gentle, almost playful, while Ruby's soft lips danced over her own. Her kiss tasted like honey with the faintest aftertaste of cherries. As the brunette pulled back from the kiss, she took Emma's bottom lip in her teeth and gently nipped it, pulling back before letting it snap back into place with a grin Emma could only call wolfish.

"Wow," she breathed, willing her heart to slow its frantic beating.

A low purr from the other side of the bed got their attention. While they'd been kissing, Regina had been content to sit back and watch the show, sliding her hand down the front of her pajamas. The rhythmic motion of her wrist indicated how much she was enjoying the sight before her. Turning from her, Ruby rolled back over to Regina. "My hero," she teased, bringing the older woman's lips down to her own.

As the two brunettes continued kissing, Emma slid her hand back around Ruby's stomach moving to her ribcage before cupping and squeezing her breast again. Trying to imagine what attentions she liked paid to her own breasts, she started flicking and lightly pinching the taut peak. She slid her body back closer to the werewolf, kissing her neck and upper shoulders.

Ruby shuddered as the kiss raised goosebumps up and down her arms. Stifling a chuckle at the reaction, Emma stroked her fingertips over the skin. While the other two competing for who could get their tongue down the other's throat farther, Emma shifted her attention to the rest of Ruby's body. She moved her hand down Ruby's torso to her stomach, marveling at the definition of the waitress's abdominal muscles as they twitched and flexed under her tickling fingers. She stifled a giggle at Ruby's adorable shudder.

"I can do this," Emma whispered to herself, taking a deep breath when her fingers moved back north to the underside of the breasts. Groping her friend on purpose felt like crossing a big line, but she'd already had them in her hand once, and – she craned her head up when the pitch of the moans changed – Ruby had her hand down the front of Regina's pajama bottoms – things were already progressing farther than that in front of her anyway.

She must have made a noise of discontent at being left out of the action, because Ruby broke her kiss with Regina and turned at what would have been an awkward angle for anyone other than a werewolf to face her. Wrapping an arm around the back of her head, the waitress drew her into another searing kiss of their own. Emma's eyes closed at the sensation of warm, swollen lips pressed against hers. A whirl of flavors danced across her tongue; the light sweetness of apples like the scent that somehow always followed Regina combined with the subtle earthiness of the woman currently trying to inhale her. Ruby snaked her tongue out, swiping it across her lips as she requested entrance.

Fully giving over to the moment, Emma opened her mouth and moaned as Ruby's tongue danced with hers. She sank into the kiss, palming and squeezing Ruby's breast while sucking on her tongue. The brunette returned the move, gently massaging Emma's breast and pinching the nipple. The sudden surge of pain changed into pleasure almost instantaneously, and she gave a breathy whimper.

The hand squeezing her nipple slid back and down, caressing her sensitized skin and making her shudder. When Ruby reached her ass, she gave a firm, but gentle squeeze. The feeling sent shivers up and down her spine, and a soft chuckle from the other side of the bed told her that she wasn't successful at hiding them. Breaking off the kiss, she looked at Regina. "Something amusing, your Majesty?"

"Not amusing," answered Regina with a shake of her head, "Beautiful," she clarified, reaching over and pulling Emma to her. They met over Ruby's body, sliding their tongues up and around each other's before mashing their lips together. Regina's kiss was different than Ruby's. Firmer, more aggressive, she was the Queen in all ways. Emma allowed her to set the pace and tone, savoring the taste of the older woman's mouth.

"We're really doing this," Ruby grinned as she sat up and pulled off the modest camisole that Regina must have magicked onto her the night before.

Eyes turned at the movement, Emma's entire body stilled at the sight of Ruby nude from the waist up. Her gaze stopped when it reached supple breasts perfectly proportionate to Ruby's lithe frame. Espresso-brown nipples capped their pale roundness. Emma broke the kiss with Regina, who made a delicious moan of disappointment at the loss of contact, breaking into an appreciative hum when she saw the heavenly view.

Leaning forward, Regina made to touch Ruby, but halted when she saw that Emma was still frozen, awe rapidly giving way to nervous tension in her face. "Emma?" she asked in a soft, gentle tone. "What's wrong?"

"I…," Emma hung her head, embarrassed at what she was going to say but unwilling to lie, "I've never done this before. It's my first time with another woman…women," she corrected.

"Is that all?" Regina gave a soft laugh, relief flooding her that Emma's fear was nothing more serious. When she saw her words being misinterpreted, she reached forward and cupped Emma's face, planting another kiss on the blonde, but gentler this time. "You're a woman. Do what you like done to you, and listen to the way she responds. Her body will tell you what works and what doesn't."

Emboldened by the kiss and the encouragement, Emma nodded and turned back to Ruby, whose eyes were almost black with arousal. As one, she and Regina leaned forward and each took one of Ruby's breasts in their hands. Squeezing and massaging to feel her skin, they closed the distance and took the nipples into their mouths. Emma marveled at the sensation. Ruby's supple flesh somehow filled her mouth perfectly if she tried. The stuff nipple poked at her tongue, almost demanding that she flick it. When she tried, it bent back and snapped up again almost like a push-me inflatable toy.

Nothing she'd ever done before had been quite so much fun, she decided, flicking Ruby's nipple back and forth, giving a breathy laugh when the waitress moaned and held her head in place. Cracking her gaze over to the other side of the bed, she saw Regina enjoying the experience just as much, also with Ruby's other hand on her head and her moans echoing in her ears.

Growing bolder, Emma rolled onto her side, laying down next to Ruby but keeping her mouth where it was. She reached down with her left arm, tracing her fingertips lightly up Ruby's leg from the calf to her knees, giving a soft laugh when the waitress twitched and squirmed when she hit a particularly ticklish spot. When her hands ghosted their way up to Ruby's inner thigh, the other woman gave an adorable squeak.

"Don't tease me, Ems," she breathed, threading lithe fingers through blonde locks.

Ruby's voice was just pleading enough that Emma took pity on her, moving her hand to the apex of the brunette's thighs, then stilling her motion. Ruby looked down at her with wide eyes, silently begging for touch, so with a deep breath through her nose, Emma took the plunge and touched Ruby's spandex-covered mound for the first time.

Heat.

The first thing she felt rubbing over Ruby's pussy was the heat rolling off of it. The second sensation was the dampness. Ruby was turned on beyond belief. Emma used her middle finger to slide the length of where Ruby's slit must be, top to bottom and back up again, marveling at the way her friend's body twitched and the noises she made.

Regina broke off her ministrations long enough to slide her hand out of the way. Emma watched as the older woman's strong fingers slipped inside the waistband of Ruby's yoga pants and gave a small tug. Getting the idea, Ruby's hips lifted up off the mattress, allowing Regina to pull the pants down and off, leaving the waitress fully nude. Emma sucked in a breath at the sight of so much pale skin on display. Ruby's legs went on forever, and the rest of her body was lean and athletic, so much so that she had no trouble believing the other woman was a wolf for a few days out of the month. Ruby trimmed, so much was obvious, but in keeping with her wilder nature, she had a mostly full growth of curls on her mound.

"You were doing something, I think?" Regina challenged with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

Never one to let Regina have the upper hand, Emma surged forward and kissed her again, moving her hand down to Ruby's pussy at the same time. After spending a few seconds threading her fingers through the patch of hair and loving how it felt, Emma reached for her goal. She wouldn't have thought it was possible before, but the brunette's core was even hotter and wetter than she had imagined. Her fingers slipped easily along Ruby's opening, coating themselves in her lubrication.

She broke the kiss with Regina to focus on the task at hand, trying to apply the sensations from her own experiences with being touched to someone else. For a few moments she simply enjoyed the feel of her fingers moving up and down Ruby's lips, but soon the other woman had enough of the teasing. "Just fuck me already, Emma," she begged, "I'm so fucking horny I'll go off like a bomb here."

Emma turned her head to look at Ruby, confirming how close she actually was from just a few seconds of touching. As she moved back to what she was doing, she saw a flash of purple in the corner of her eye. Regina's pajama top went sailing past her eyes to land in a puddle of silk on the floor. "Holy shit," Emma breathed, taking in the sight of Regina's full, supple breasts for the first time.

"Bring those up here," Ruby ordered.

As her fingers obeyed the pleading and started going to work on the waitress's engorged clit, Emma looked back to see Regina sliding up the bed so that Ruby's face was level with her breasts. With a graceless desperation, Ruby grabbed one of the globes in her hand, feeding it into her hungry mouth with a growl. Regina shuddered, panting at the feeling of Ruby sucking her nipple much the same as she had been doing.

Ruby had been right, though, and before long her body started jerking, bucking against Emma's touch to bring even more friction. "So…so close," she whined.

Needing more than anything ever to bring Ruby to climax, Emma rolled over between Ruby's legs. Keeping pressure on her clit, she slid two fingers of her other hand into her pussy. The wet heat was overwhelming. Ruby was so tight, she could feel her inner muscles squeezing and contracting on her fingers. Curling them upward, she started trying to rub with those fingers at the same time she was rubbing Ruby's clit.

The effect was immediate. Breaking away from Regina's breast, Ruby's whole body went stiff for a half-second before she started shaking. With a scream that almost rattled the windows, she swept over the edge into her orgasm. Emma could do nothing other than ride it out with her, keeping pressure and pace with her fingers until the shaking subsided and Ruby's hollering turned to pants. "O – okay. N-no more, Emma. I c-can't take it."

Feeling a wave of satisfaction that she was able to bring such pleasure to her friend, Emma regained her position next to Ruby. She looked up to feel the eyes of both women on her. "Very well done for your first time, Emma," Regina congratulated, with no trace of mocking or teasing.

"That was amazing! Where did you learn that?" Ruby asked.

"I just did what I thought would feel good on me," shrugged the blonde. Still noticing their stares, she felt Ruby's fluids on her fingers. With a wondering thought as to the taste, she brought the index finger to her mouth and sucked it like a lollipop. Two jaws dropped at the sight, falling even more open as she repeated the move on the middle finger. "Sweet," she noted, "You taste really good, Rubes," she grinned.

"That may have been the hottest thing I have ever seen," Regina husked, eyes wide and dark with arousal. "But you're wearing far too many clothes, Miss Swan."

Emma felt a bolt of heat shoot straight to her lower belly at the tone in Regina's voice. "You – you really want to see me naked?" She asked as her fingers paused at the hem of her camisole, hating the insecurities dogging her.

"Take it off! Take it off!" Ruby chanted with an ear-to-ear grin.

"You are a beautiful woman, Emma, and we care about you very much. You should be involved in this just as much as we are," Regina murmured, raking her eyes up and down Emma's body before fixing and holding her gaze.

Understanding they were serious and wanted her to participate, Emma gave a tentative grin and lifted her top off, shimmying her body as she did. The little jiggle her breasts did at the motion didn't go unnoticed by the others. She brought her hands up, tracing up her sides with her fingertips and enjoying the little thrill her body always did at the ticklish touch. When she got to her chest, Emma looked up at the two brunettes with a devilish smirk as she took a breast in each hand, squeezing them together.

Never blessed with Regina's level of cleavage, she was nevertheless flattered at the naked hunger mirrored on Ruby and Regina's faces. Emboldened, she turned around and slowly pulled down her loose pajama pants, bending over at the waist to push her ass out towards the other women.

"Oh my," she heard behind her, sending a flush across her face. Emma turned around, showing her fully nude body to the others.

"You shave?" Ruby asked, incredulously.

"I like the way it feels," Emma explained with a touch of sheepishness.

With a grin, Ruby reached around Regina and slid her pajamas down, revealing no underwear. Instead of a wild patch of hair like Ruby, Regina's was neatly groomed into a narrow strip. Emma's eyes were fixated on the sight of Ruby's fingers snaking under Regina's pussy from behind. "Oh my God she's so fucking wet," the waitress breathed, sliding her fingers out to show Emma how they glistened in the dim light before moving back to rub some more.

"That's so hot," Emma said, mostly to herself.

"You should see her ass," the waitress smirked, "Madam Mayor has a perfect apple bottom back here. Is that ironic?" she asked, giving it a light smack that had Regina squealing.

"You've never been with a woman before?" Ruby asked Emma to make sure.

"Never," Emma shook her head, still mesmerized by Ruby's fingers slipping through Regina's pussy.

With a feral grin, Ruby picked Regina up with no visible trouble and laid her back on the bed, spreading her legs. "Then watch and learn."

Emma settled in on crouched knees next to Regina's outstretched legs, watching Ruby's technique. First she laid her tongue flat, swiping it up the length of Regina's slit before flicking her clit a few times. Regina apparently enjoyed that very much, if the sudden upward jerking of her hips was anything to go by. With a moan, the Queen settled back on the bed, using one hand to massage her breasts.

Leaning over, Emma watched as Ruby stuck her tongue, spear-like, into Regina's pussy, almost fucking her with it. She grinned at the taste, pulling her tongue back and licking her lips before continuing.

Regina's moans were growing louder, and her body straining for any friction it could find, which forced Ruby to slide her arms around the older woman's thighs to hold her body in place. Ruby's tongue started moving at a place that was almost a blur to her eyes. She was moaning while she licked, making sure to pay just as much attention to Regina's lips as she did her clit.

Without warning, Emma felt a hand caressing her ass. Regina was touching her. With a wink to Ruby, she got up on all fours, sliding back toward the older woman to give her easier access. When Regina starts kneading and squeezing the flesh of her ass, she leans over to start kissing the woman's thigh. The dual sensation is exactly what Regina was hoping for, as her moans started to get faster and higher-pitched.

She felt Regina's fingers moving closer and closer to her opening, driving her arousal to dizzying new heights, begging for release. Emma was so wet at that point that she could feel her juices trickling down her thighs, and her hips jerked back toward Regina of their own accord, trying to force themselves onto her fingers.

Regina took the hint, finally reaching her opening. Slim fingertips made their way up and down her slit, coating themselves in her fluid. At first she could barely feel the teasing tickle, but then Regina just went for broke and pushed two fingers inside her. Emma groaned at the feeling as they slid in and out, fucking her while she watched Ruby licking Regina's pussy.

"So close," Regina panted, "So close, Ruby!"

With a grin, Ruby pushed two fingers of her own inside Regina and started fucking her. The older woman responded with a moan that seemed to draw the very breath from her body. Her hand stopped its delicious motion inside Emma, who whimpered at the loss and started pushing herself back onto Regina's hand, fucking herself.

Finally, Ruby went for broke. She shoved her fingers all the way inside Regina, curling them up to find her G-spot at the same time she sucked Regina's clit into her mouth. The mayor's body went as tense as a steel rod for a half-second. She pulled her hand out of Emma's pussy and reached down, holding Ruby's head in place.

Her orgasm shook the room. Purple sparks crackled from her eyes as the intensity of her climax made Regina's magic unstable. Thinking quickly, Emma turned around and grabbed Regina's face, pressing a searing kiss onto her lips that broke her out of the haze. She could feel her own magic tingling under her skin as it reached out for Regina's, calming the storm. The shaking stopped, the sparks went away, and Regina's body gradually stilled as she came down off her climax.

Breaking the kiss, Emma leaned back and looked at the woman. "That was the most intense orgasm I've ever seen," she grinned.

Ruby slid up Regina's body, taking time to drag her breasts all the way up Regina's legs and stomach, even moving her body in a circle so that her nipples dragged across Regina's, making them both shakily inhale at the sensation of sweaty, sensitive skin rubbing together. Mashing her lips on the other woman's, Ruby opened her mouth, allowing Regina's tongue to clean her off. "So amazing, Madam Mayor," the waitress teased.

As one, they turned to look at Emma. Their matching mischievous expressions had her gulping.

"I think one of us has been tragically neglected, Ruby," Regina purred.

With a wolfish grin, Ruby nodded. "I think you're right. I think it's time to get a taste of blonde pussy, Regina."

The two brunettes got up to their knees, shuffling across the bed at a suddenly-nervous Emma. Sensing her sudden anxiety, their hungry expressions gave way to concern. "What's the matter? We just want to take care of you the way you helped take care of us," Ruby asked as she reached out and took Emma's hand.

"I just…I'm really not comfortable being the focus of attention. Most of the time whenever I've been with someone, when they were finished they were done and I was usually left to myself," Emma admitted, looking down.

She missed the twin flashes of anger that went through both brunettes. "Well then it's their loss. Lay down and let us take care of you," Regina ordered in her best commanding voice.

The blonde looked up and saw the way her two friends were looking at her. Forcing her mind to accept the fact that this time was going to be different, she nodded with a hard swallow. She allowed them to push her back to the same spot that Ruby and Regina had occupied, spreading her legs open. Starting to say what she liked, Ruby cut off her words with a kiss.

"We've got this. Just lay back and enjoy, Princess," she teased.

Regina said her piece without words, holding Emma's gaze as she dragged her body down the blonde's, making sure her full breasts softly brushed every square inch, including her overheated core. Ruby was more direct, crouching between Emma's legs and looking at her pussy like it was the most delicate flower. She gave a big sniff, murmuring appreciatively at the aroma. Regina settled in next to her, licking her lips.

With a kiss for each other, the two brunettes leaned in to go to work. Emma was helpless against the assault of tongues brushing against her pussy. Her moans of approval quickly turned to high-pitched squeaks as they took turns flicking her clit. Someone, and she would never know who, pushed two fingers inside her and she saw stars.

Trying to reach either of them to touch them while they licked her, they quickly swatted her hands way. Regina slid around to one side and focused on her clit while Ruby stayed in between her legs and swiped her tongue up and down her opening. The dual attack from two talented tongues was too much for her, and it wasn't long before she felt her orgasm building.

There was no teasing; they were relentless, with Ruby finger-fucking her and Regina sucking her clit. She was powerless against them. With a hand on each of their heads and her legs spread wide, Emma's scream sounded around the room as her two lovers swept her over the edge of her climax.

The feeling wasn't like any other orgasm she'd ever had – more passionate, more intense, more all-encompassing, more of everything. She saw spots at the edge of her vision and wasn't entirely sure that she didn't black out.

When her eyes cleared, Ruby and Regina were lying next to her, one on either side, snuggled up into the crooks of her arms. "That was the most amazing thing I've ever experienced," she panted, tracing her fingertips up and down their backs to feel their skin, "So we're really doing this? If we are, I'm in!"

Laughter broke out on either side of her. "I think that's a given, dear," agreed Regina with a soft kiss to her collarbone, "I'm 'in', too."

"Me, three," Ruby agreed, leaning down and kissing the top of her breast. "Nothing has ever felt so right. I feel like I found a home."

Emma hummed, enjoying the moment and kissing the tops of their heads as sleep overtook them once more.

* * *

 **A/N: There we go! I hope you had as much fun reading it as I did writing this story! Reviews and constructive criticism always welcome!**


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